Water heater



June 6, 1939. F. T. HLMEs 2,161,417'

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Patented June 6, 1939 UNITED y STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,161,417 WATERHEATER v Frederick T. Holmes, Waterbury, Conn. Application November 16,1936, Serial No. 110,961

` s claims.Y (c1. 122-13) This invention relates'more particularly tothat typey of water heater used in dwellings and other buildings, inwhich the water is primarily heated by means ofV a waterback, oftentermed a coil, positioned within the lire box of the building heatingfurnace, and having associated therewith a storage tank or reservoirwhich is connected by suitable piping to the water back,

whereby the water, which is heated within the water back, is circulatedthrough the said piping from and to the storage tank.

In the use of water heaters of the aforesaid type, an annoying andsometimes destructive knock or hammer occurs in the system, particularlywhen the fire in the heating furnace is very hot.

Therprincipal object of the present invention is to provide a simple andefficient means for preventing such knocks or hammers, which means maybe readily applied to existing water heaters as occasion may require,and without requiring any particular skill on the part of the personapplying the same. y The objectionable knock or hammer, in water heatersof vthe Vaforesaid type, is apparently caused by the generation of steamwithin the Water back when the re in the furnace is hotter than isordinarily required to maintain a Sullicient supply of hot water.presenty invention, therefore, is to eliminate this objectionable knockor hammer by reducing the temperature of the water in the tank so thatthe water flowing back from the bottom of the storage tank to the waterback is not subject to the tendency to vaporize too quickly.

With the foregoing in view, the present invention contemplates theprovision of heat dissipators mounted exteriorly of the heating furnaceand preferably on the shell of the storage 40- tank, which heatdissipators are made in a plurality of units or sections, so that alarger or vsmaller number thereof may be applied when a knock or hammeroccurs in the system, the requisite number required in each instancebeing readily determinable by trial.k

The nature and characteristic' features of the present invention will bemore readily understood from the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, in which:

Figure l is an elevational view, to a certain extent diagrammatic,illustrating a water heater embodying the main features of the-presentinvention; and

Fig. 2 is` a perspective view of one element known and An object of the`of a heat dissipator detached, the same being shown in a preferred formthereof.

1t will, of course, be understood that the description and drawing4herein are illustrative merely and that various changes andmodifications may be made in the structure disclosed without departingfrom the spirit of the invention.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawing, 5 is theheater of a household heating plant which may be of the hot water,steam, or l0 hot air type, or it may even be a kitchen range. Disposedwithin the fire chamber of the heater 5 is the water back or coil whichmay take any of the forms of such devices as are well y in common use.Arranged in 15 proximity to the heater 5 is the hot water storage tank lconnected by circulation pipes 8 and 9 to the water back 6.

The pipe 8 extends from the top of the storage tank 1, whereas the pipe9 extends from the 20 bottom of the storage tank l, the arrangementbeing such that, when there is a re within the heater 5, the thermalhead of the water in the pipes 8 and 9 will cause a circulation from thebottom of the storage tank to` the water back 25 through pipe 9, andfrom the water back through the pipe 8 to the top of the tank. In thismanner the water within the storage tank will be kept heated for usewhen required. Water is supplied to the tank by means of the pipe ID,and is 30 drawn off therefrom through pipe Il which extends to theplumbing fixtures of the building.

It is, of course, understood that the re within'the heater 5 will varyin its intensity from time to time. It is, therefore, necessary toprovide a water back of sufficient size to maintain the desiredtemperature of the water within the storage tank when the re within theheater 5 is comparatively low.

With the foregoing in mind, it will be apparent 4o that when the firewithin the heater 5 is kept quite hot over a period of time, the waterin the storage tank will become heated to a temperature close to theboiling point, and when the same returns through the pipe 9 from thereservoir to the 45 water back, it will be more or less periodicallyflashed into steam, causing the objectionable knock or hammer.

To obviate this objectionable knock or hammer, the present inventioncontemplates the provision, preferably in connection with the waterstorage tank, of heat dissipators, which may be of any preferred formand of such heat transferring capacity as to dissipate sufficient heatto prevent the water within the tank from reaching a tem- 55 peratureclose to the boiling point, and thus eliminate the generation of thesteam Within the water back.

The heat dissipators are preferably made in separate units or sections,so that a greater or lesser number thereof may be applied to the shellof the storage tank as may be required.

In Fig. 2 there is shown a preferred form of heat dissipator I2 whichmay be inexpensively made from a strip of sheet material, preferably ofcopper or the like, and Which is so shaped and formed as to provide aplurality of V-shaped projecting fins I3, the legs of which areconnected by sector portions I4 of the strip. At the' ends of the strip,wings I5 may be provided for fastening the ends to each other when theunit is mounted on the shell of the'storage tank'.

. When a heat dissipator ofthe form' above'def scribed is mounted on theshell of the Water storage tank, the surrounding air will freelycirculate through the triangular spaces dened by the V-shaped fins I3,so that the internal sur'- faces `as Well as the external surfaces ofsaid fins Will serve in the dissipation of the heat.

Inthe use of the heat dissipators, Whenever a Water heater of the typehereinbefore disclosed develops an' objectionable-knock or hammer'forthe reasons aforesaid, the heat dissipator units may be successivelyapplied to the shell of the tank until a suiiicient number is appliedto' eliminate the knock or hammer.

It Will be found that the use ofthe heat dissipators Will not ordinarilyinvolve any appreciable' loss of eiciency of the hot Water heater,

' as theiamount of4 heat dissipated Willbe approXi-' mately`proportional to the temperature of the Waterwithin the storage tank, andthat if the number of the said heat dissipators employed is'sucient onlyto eliminate the knock or hammer, no great amount of heat will be lostwhen the system is functioning with the Water at the ordinary desiredtemperatures.

I claim:

1. The combination with a domestic Water heater or the like which wouldotherwise have therein becomes overheated, said Water heater comprisinga water back, a heater in which the same is positioned, a hot waterstorage tank, and circulation pipes connecting the Water back andstorage tank, of means for preventing such knock or hammer Whichcomprises a heat dissipator mounted directly on the shell of the storagetank and having portions extending outwardly therefrom to provide heatdissipating surfaces.

2. The combination with a domestic Water heater or the like which Wouldotherwise have a tendency to knock or hammer When the Water thereinbecomes overheated, said Water heater comprising a Water back, a heaterin which the same is positioned, a hot Water storage tank, andcirculation pipes connecting the Water back and storage tank, of meansfor preventing such knock or hammer which comprises a heat dissipatormounted on the storage tank adapted to prevent the water'in the storagetank from reaching an excessive temperature, said heat dissipatorcomprising a device having portions bearing against the shell of thestorage tank and portions extending outwardly therefrom to provide heatdissipating surfaces.

3. The combination with a domestic Water heater or the like Which wouldotherwise have a tendency to knock or hammer when the water thereinbecomes overheated, said Water heat er comprising a water back, a heaterin which the same is positioned, a hot Water storage tank, andcirculation pipes connecting the Water back and storage tank, of meansfor preventing such knock or hammer which comprises a heat dissipatormounted on the storage tank adapted to prevent, the water in the storagetank from reaching an excessive temperature, said heat dissipatorcomprising a plurality of separately mounted units, each ofsaid unitshaving portions bearing against the shell of the storage tank andportions extending outwardly therefrom to provide' heat dissipatingsurfaces.

FREDERICK T. HOLMES.

